NMN No Magic Needed
by Alex Skye
Summary: Allie Eberlee has a normal life... until she types in the wrong number in a certain telephone booth. She is suddenly launched into a world of magic and mayhem. The only problem: Alllie is a muggle. What happens?
1. The Ministry

Chapter One

"Allie!" shouted Mom. "I'm going to need you to go to the store for me! I need some more ingredients for your sister's tea cakes. I can't believe she's already a little hostess! Oh, here she comes, the party girl!"

"Thank you, thank you!" said as she strode into the kitchen. She was wearing a pink cape that looked mysteriously like one of her mother's skirts. A paper crown sat atop her head, with sequins covering every inch. "Now all I need to complete my tea-and-sleepover party is my bee-youtiful cakes! Where are they?" Bridget started to look around frantically.

"Well, that's the thing sweetie. Allie needs to go to the store to pick up some more ingredients for them. But don't worry!" Mom said as Bridget started to pout. "I'll start baking as soon as your sister gets back."

"But Mom!" Allie said. "The party I planned to cheer up Peyton is starting in ten minutes! Her parents just got divorced, and she really wants me there! If I go get groceries, I won't be back in time, and they'll have nothing to do for the first half hour! Please don't make me go!"

"Oh, you poor, deprived child. You can get there on time, just pick up a couple things and I'll take you over," replied her mom.

"Fine," Allie grumbled. "Be right back!" She collected the money and rushed out the door. After all, she planned to be back in time to wrap her present and get to the party on time. No grocery shopping could stop her!

Allie hummed as she strolled down the busy London street. She was still amazed, though she had been living here for several months now, and made plenty of friends. This was nothing like her old home in the Kentucky countryside. She noticed that her mother forgot to put how many eggs she needed, and since Allie didn't have a cell phone, she stopped to use the nearest telephone booth.

"Hmm, let's see, the number is 245-2222," thought Allie aloud. She punched in the numbers 244-222- but before she could type any more, a voice filled the booth.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your business."

"Hi… um, is this the operator? I'm Allie Eberlee. I was trying to get a hold of my mom," said Allie.

"Please pin this badge to the front of your robes," replied the cool female voice. A small, gold badge popped out of the coin slot that read "Allie Eberlee-Visitor."

"Have a great day," said the cool female voice once more.

"That was weird; I'm getting out of here," said Allie, but before she got a chance to step out of the booth, she felt a jolt and… was she descending downward?

_No, I couldn't be!_ thought Allie. But still, she couldn't see through the window anymore. The thick, gray concrete was blocking the sunlight.

Finally, the booth stopped. The door opened, and Allie stepped out into the grandest room she had ever seen! There were high ceilings, shining tile floors, and in the midst of it all, there was a towering golden fountain that held a strange looking man holding a pointed stick up towards the ceiling. There was also a slightly shorter woman, a centaur, and two strange creatures with large ears. She looked up at it and stared.

When she was done taking her fill of the statue, she turned and saw a group of three kids in the midst of all the oddly-dressed businesspeople. She decided to be brave and introduce herself.

As she approached them, she saw that there was a boy who looked about 13, a younger boy, and an even younger girl. The middle boy looked about Allie's age. She heard the older one shouting "Hey, Albus! You want it? Come and get it!" He seemed to be holding a stick-like object up high so Albus couldn't reach it.

"Give me my wand, James!" shouted Albus.

"Erm, hello," said Allie. "Would you happen to know where we are?" The boys ignored her.

The girl stepped in. "Boys! Someone is trying to greet you. You should at least respond! Do I always have repeat everything Mum says?" She turned to face Allie.

"Sorry about my brothers, they're a pain. Even though I'm two years younger than Albus and four younger than James, I'm ten times as polite. That's James and Albus, and I'm Lily. Lily Ginerva Potter."

_Now where have I heard those names before? James, Albus, Lily, and Potter…_

"I'm Allie Eberlee," replied Allie. "Don't worry; I know what it's like to have a sibling. I have all of your problems. So anyway, what're a bunch of kids like you doing here? And what is this place?"

"Ummm… you really haven't heard of the Ministry of Magic?" Lily asked.

"Well…" Allie stammered.

"Are you foreign?"

"Yes, yes," Allie said. "I'm, ah… French."

"You don't _sound _French," Lily questioned suspiciously.

"My parents are English, but now we live in France."

"Oh," Lily said. Allie sighed in relief. "And to answer your other question, our parents work here."

Allie was starting to figure it out now. But _how_ could it be real? _Well, there's only one way to find out,_ thought Allie.

"You mean…your dad…"

"Yes, yes, follow me. I want you to meet him!" said Lily. "Oh hi, Mum!"

A woman was hurtling through the crowd, looking windswept. She had flaming red hair, and was wearing an official-looking badge that read:

Ginerva Potter.

"Oh, hi honey," said the woman, while Allie sat open mouthed. She closed her jaw when Ginny looked at her.

"I was just on my way to the department of mysteries to deliver this; I was kind of in a hurry. Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Allie. She's a foreigner. She's never heard of the Ministry of Magic!" Lily added in a whisper.

"Nice to meet you," said Allie, trying not to burst out with questions. _Was this some kind of trick? Was she being punked?_

"So, will you be going to Hogwarts?" smiled Ginny.

Allie thought fast.

"I wanted to, since my family will probably be moving back to England, but one of my French cousins convinced my mother that I should go to Beauxbatons instead," she replied, trying to look sorrowful. She was sure her friends would jump out at any moment and yell "Ha-HA! We tricked you!"

But they never came.

"That's horrible!" shouted Lily in protest. "It's _your_ school that _you'll _be at for the next seven years. _You _should get to choose!"

"I agree," replied Ginny. "It isn't fair. But, If Beauxbatons is the school her mother wants her to go to, she should not oblige. It's what her mother thinks is best," said Ginny. She did look sorry for Allie. "Well, I've got to go turn this in. I'll see you girls later," said Ginny. "And boys! Stop fiddling around with Albus's wand and put it away!"

"But Mo-om!" said Albus. "He's trying to _take _my wand! It's not my fault!"

"James! Stop trying to steal your brother's wand!" shouted Ginny as she swept off toward a large golden elevator shaft. "Bye, girls!"

"Bye, Mum!" said Lily. Allie was about to say "Bye, Ginny!" but she bit down on her tongue as the words were about to come out. Instead she said "Bye, Mrs. Potter!"

"Okay, now where were we?" said Lily. "Oh yeah, my Dad! Follow me. We're going to the auror office!"

Lily led Allie to one of the golden elevator shafts that her mother had just been in seconds before. The same cool female voice from the telephone booth told the ministry workers what floor they were on every time the shaft came to a halt. When Allie and Lilly were the only two left in the elevator shaft, they stepped out.

"This way," said Lily. She smiled confidently as they made their way to a door with a golden plaque that read _Auror Office._ Lily hesitated. "I don't want to disturb them… Oh well!" Lily grinned from ear-to-ear as she pushed the door open. She almost ran past the rows of cubicles. _She's obviously been in here before,_ thought Allie.

Allie didn't want to be rushed. She was so interested in how the people worked! With a flick of a wand she saw a quill fly across some stationary ("Dear Minister, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'll be needing some time off…"). The wizard writing the letter looked positively gleeful as he made up a lie telling the minister that his daughter was in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Allie also noticed that the pictures of the aurors' families were strange, also. There was one woman with a picture of a large group of kids hanging above her workspace. There was a short little boy with a taller one behind him pulling his hair. The girls in the group looked as if they were laughing. And weirdest of all, the pictures were _moving_.

Allie didn't want Lily to think she was totally dumbfounded (which she was), so she hustled right along with her new friend toward a large cubicle near the back of the room. Allie could see a man with untidy black hair sitting at a large desk. There was a picture at his desk too. It was of nine different people. There were four adults: She recognized Ginny standing next to a a bushy brown haired woman. There were two men - one with red hair, and one with black hair that must belong to the man sitting behind the desk. He had bright green eyes and a lightning bolt-shaped scar running down his forehead. There were five children in the picture too. There were Lily, Albus, and James, and two other kids that looked exactly like the red-haired man and the bushy-haired woman. Allie's eyes wandered down to the silver sign sitting on the man's desk.

MR. HARRY JAMES POTTER - Head Auror

"Hi, Dad!" said Lily happily.

"Hey, Li-wait, what are you doing in here?" replied Harry.

"Oh, I just wanted to introduce you to my new friend Allie. She's going to Beauxbatons next year. Um, Allie?"

Allie felt as though she was about to fall flat on the floor. She was facing Harry Potter. _The_ Harry Potter.


	2. Magic exists?

Chapter Two

"Allie! Allie!" shouted Lily.

"Are you okay?" said Harry. Allie opened her eyes. She was lying on the floor of the auror office, Lily and Harry looking straight down at her. When her vision straightened out, she noticed that the rest of the workers were standing behind her. Was it a coincidence, or did someone happen to plan the fact that she had just been launched head-on into the world of her favorite book?

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Allie. She was in complete shock. It must be real, and yet it couldn't be! Magic didn't really exist! "Wow, I guess I just a bit surprised," she said, out of breath.

"Heh…well, that tends to happen sometimes when I take people into the auror office," said Lily quietly to herself. There was a pause when all was silent in the room. You would have been able to hear a pin drop.

"Back to work everyone!" shouted Harry. The workers nervously began to bustle about again.

"So, anyway, what're you working on, Dad?" asked a curious Lily while Allie sat down in a nearby chair.

"Well, I was just working on an important case when you came in. It's top-secret, and I can't let you in on the details."

"Aww, Dad!" said Lily, pouting. "Why not? It's not like I'll use the information to make anything worse!"

"Well, I guess I can tell you, but you have to promise to keep your lips _sealed_. Don't just go walking around telling people that you know about a top-security case, all right?" whispered Harry. Lily looked as though Christmas had just come early. Allie was also listening intently. _How interesting it would be to know how an Auror works! _she thought. _But not just any wizard, the wizard who defeated Voldemort!_

At that moment, there was a small "BEEP!"

Allie looked down at her digital watch. _Why did it go off?_

"Hey, what's _that?_" Lily asked as she gazed in wonder at the watch on Allie's wrist.

"Oh, it's just a- oh no!" said Allie. She was supposed to be home by now!

"Why is it called an 'oh no'?" asked Lily as she stifled a giggle.

"I-um, well it isn't, but I was supposed to be home a long time ago. I've gotta run!" Allie was disappointed that she had to leave this magical place, but she couldn't stay forever, and she didn't want to spoil her sister's party and get in trouble with her mother in the same day. And what would she do about her own party! It would be over in a half an hour!

As Allie dashed for the door, Lily called to her:

"You _will_ come back, right?" said Lily, looking at her hopefully. Allie thought for a moment.

"Yeah, I will. And, on a day that I have more time," replied Allie. She took one last passing glance at the magical office as she bolted toward the elevator shaft that would take her back to her boring, normal life.


	3. Diagon Alley

Chapter Three

"Where WERE you?" her mother shouted as Allie burst into the door, panting and sweating like a dog because of the long run from the telephone booth.

"It's a funny story…" Allie said between breaths. She thought quickly, then decided not to tell her mother what had really happened in the sacred magical world.

"I got lost on my way there, and then the checkout lines were packed. But I brought the milk and eggs," was all Allie said.

"And WHY on EARTH didn't you just call me on the payphone?" Mom questioned. Bridget started to creep back towards the hallway, scared.

"All of the nearest ones were out of order," Allie said as she slumped back into a poufy arm chair. Her mother trampled on about how she should have known better, but Allie's thoughts led back to the phone booth. She must have typed in the wrong number… but what number had she put in to get to the Ministry?

"and you had us SO WORRIED!" her mother ended, huffy and red-faced.

"Wha…?" Allie asked.  
"Oh, NEVERMIND!" shouted Mom. And with one last angry breath, she stormed back into the kitchen and started furiously whisking the eggs that Allie had brought back. She stared up at the clock, which read 4:45. The party had already started - over two hours ago!!!

Life was no better when she finally arrived. All of her friends, especially Peyton, were furious that she had overlooked what would have made her forget her troubles and have a good time.

"I just couldn't get here, okay?" Allie replied for the millionth time as her annoyed friends pounded her with questions.

"Well why didn't you just call us before you left or did whatever it is you did?" asked Peyton. She looked like she was holding back tears.

"Yeah, you promised us all! You're the one with the party plans!" retorted Julie as she backed up her friend.

"Well, it was kinda important, and I was rushed out of the house, so I couldn't call you," said Allie again, but her friends didn't look convinced. Well it _was_ partially true. She _was_ rushed out of the house to go get her sister's cake ingredients, and she only had enough money for _one_ phone call (besides grocery money). Why couldn't her friends just believe her?

"I'm sorry, but I, um… just can't tell you what I was doing, all right! Uh… my mom told me I, er… couldn't tell anyone," finished Allie lamely.

"Oh, _sure_," Peyton snapped back. "Without anything to do, all we did for the past two hours was sit around on the floor, talk, and listen to my parents screaming at each other, packing up their memories in cardboard boxes!" The group of girls stalked off, and she heard muttering about 'getting something from the kitchen.' Allie was sure she heard a sob.

_Now what'll I do? _thought Allie. She knew the wasn't welcome in Peyton's house anymore.

The next morning, wandered around the blacktop at school, thinking about her friends in the other world. She decided she'd go back down to the Ministry that day. It would surely take her mind off Peyton, and she already had an alibi in mind for her mother.

Sure enough, after Allie had finished her homework, she told her mom that she was going to Julie's house until dinner time, took a coin from her piggy bank, and headed straight for the telephone booth. She thought she might forget where it was, but she heard the shiny silver circle fall in with a plop, and started to think of the number she entered to get to the Ministry of Magic.

_Now what was that number…Oh yeah!_ She typed in the number, received her badge, and just like magic, she was descending again into the Ministry. When the booth finally brought her to her destination, she realized that Lily, James, and Albus might not be there.

_What if they're out doing something else? _she thought. _They can't spend their whole lives in here!_

Suddenly, a girl with flaming red hair was bursting, out of nowhere, toward Allie. She almost toppled over as Lily came to an abrupt stop right in front of her nose.

"Where _were_ you? I've been hanging out here for _hours _waiting for you to come and visit!" Lily exclaimed, who looked like she was a volcano that just exploded (the bright hair added to the effect).

"Really? It seems like it's been days!" started Allie, but as she finished her sentence, another girl joined them, accompanied by her mother, who looked exactly like her. They both had bushy, brown hair, and apparently, the same love for books. The mother and daughter were chatting rapidly about a new book that seemed to be in a bag labeled _Flourish & Blotts._

"Hey, Rose!" called Lily. The girl wandered over as her mother went to talk to Ginny. She looked like she was lost in her thoughts; clutching the bag in her hands. "Um, Rose? Earth to RO-ose! There you are! I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Allie!"

"Hi!" said Rose cheerfully. She could tell that Rose was Hermione's daughter. The hair, the book, and the fact that both Rose and her mother were in the picture on Harry's desk were enough to prove it. Allie was _so_ jealous! She would love to be Hermione's daughter (and go to Hogwarts, as a matter of fact)!

"Hi!" replied Allie, who was bursting with questions once again. I see that you were just out shopping…"

"Yes, we were just in Diagon Alley getting some of my new school supplies, and Mum got me an early birthday present!" Rose held up the silver Flourish & Blotts bag.

"_Diagon Alley?" _Allie breathed to herself under her breath.

"We were going to finish shopping tomorrow afternoon," added Lily. "Since you're going to a different school, you'll probably have to shop somewhere else, but it wouldn't matter. Would you like to join us?"

"Would I love to!" said Allie.

"And anyway, some of your listed items must be in at least one of the shops! finished Rose.

Allie came out of her daydream and suddenly remembered that she wasn't a witch, wasn't going to any wizarding schools, and to top it all off, she didn't have any wizarding money.

"Oh, um… I have one small problem," said Allie.

"My parents are Muggles, and all we have is regular Muggle money, so I don't know if I could go to Diagon Alley. My cousins did pretty much all of my shopping for me." Allie almost giggled herself silly; calling her currency "Muggle Money."

"Don't worry," Hermione had joined their group, accompanied by Ginny.

"Gringott's transfers Muggle money. Trust me, I've done it before," Hermione smiled.

Allie thought she might faint again. _I know, _she thought. _I know everything about you. _ Good thing Lily took hold of the conversation. "Oh! Hermione, this is Allie."

Allie was so full to the brim with questions that she felt like she would explode like a hot pot of popcorn.

"Well, girls, if we're going shopping tomorrow afternoon, we might as well bring your brothers along," said Ginny.

"And here they come now!"

Harry, accompanied by his two boys, the red-haired man that must be Ron, and the little, red-haired boy who looked about Lily's age just stepped out of the telephone booth.

"Dad, we're going shopping tomorrow, so try not to miss us!" called Lily as the girls burst into a silent fit of giggles.

"We'll try not to," replied Harry with a wink. "Actually, we were planning to go shopping tomorrow, too," added Ron.

"Really, Dad? You boys? Shopping _alone? No!" _gasped Rose as another laughing fit came on.

"We can shop too, you know!" shouted the red-haired boy.

"Oh, _sure _you can, Hugo," replied Rose.

"I know!" exclaimed Lily. "We'll have a race! The one to finish shopping first wins!"

"You're on!" shouted James. It was set. The great shopping race would take place tomorrow, in Diagon Alley. Allie was crazily animated even as the words ran through her head:

_I'm going shopping in Diagon Alley!_


End file.
